This was as the Senator Bukola Saraki group shunned the party’s primaries.

The group said the primaries was primitive, undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice.

Both Lawan and Saraki groups had early on Saturday signed an agreement to abide by the outcome of the party’s primaries.

But Saraki’s group, which boasted of 65 senators across party lines, in a statement vowed to participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday when the Ninth Senate would be inaugurated.

It said this was in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In an election held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Saturday night, Lawan scored 32 votes, while Senator George Akume got 31 to emerge as Deputy Senate President candidate.

Announcing the result, the Returning Officer for the election, Mala Buni, who is the APC’s National Secretary, said by the result, Lawan and Akume are now the recognised candidates of the APC for the election.

In a statement by Senators-elect of Like Minds, the group backing Saraki’s Senate presidency candidacy, it decried the primaries by the APC.

It said: “We the Senators elect of Like Minds hereby insist on our position of Open Secret voting process which we believe is in consonance with the provisions of the electoral act, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the universal electoral values.

“As responsible citizens of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and leaders in our own right, we have resolved and hereby state that we shall not be part of a process that promotes undemocratic electoral process that may resort to rancorous and uncivil situations which inhibits the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us than unite members of our party.

“In conclusion we the Senators-Elect of Like Minds wish to state categorically that we will participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday, the 9th of June 2015 in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We by this press release invite the media to a joint press conference by the 65 Senators-Elect of Like Minds drawn from across party lines on Monday morning, the 8th of June 2015.”

It was gathered that Saraki has continued pursuing the alliance across party lines to emerge the Senate president.

That alliance is said to be premised on support from the Peoples Democratic Party, which has the second largest representative in the Senate.

He is said to have wooed a lot of members of the PDP, the platform on which he served as governor of Kwara State for eight years and was also elected senator for his first four years in the National Assembly.